Dear Sir, - As a lame girl myself, may I be allowed to reply to the letter from "A Mere Man", who asks: Should a girl of his acquaintance be encouraged to use a crutch at her wedding to offset a bad limp?
My reply is, "No."
The man who is marrying her loves her, despite her bad limp. He doesn't want to see his bride hampered by a crutch (which takes time to use); and then there is the physiological aspect of the matter. Crutches are advocated by medical men only in cases of need. The reason is plain. No injured limb thrives of being pampered, or spared its proper work, for the muscles go slack and soft and after getting used to the assistance of a crutch, they are loathe to take up their work again.
I know that if I once let my injured leg have an easy time by using crutches, I would only get more lame after a time, besides being hampered in my housework. Therefore I say that the bride-to-be should not adopt a crutch unless she needs one; and, if she did, her medical adviser would have mentioned the matter before now.
As for "Mere Male" saying that he "admires" crutches, I may say that I think that he is only trying to be kind to we cripples, who feel our infirmities more than we dare to show. Crutches are a very necessary aid to infirmity, but I don't think that anyone should adopt one, save in case of need, without proper medical advice, as, after all, a doctor knows best just what an injured limb is capable of doing.
Yours truly,
Another Limping Girl.